This application relates generally to wireless communication and more specifically, but not exclusively, to handover signaling.
A wireless communication network may be deployed to provide various types of services (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to users within a geographical area. In a typical implementation, macro access points (e.g., corresponding to different macro cells) are distributed throughout a network to provide wireless connectivity for access terminals (e.g., cell phones) that are operating within the geographical area served by the network. Core network entities support connectivity between access points, access to other networks (e.g., the Internet), management functions, and other related functions.
In some networks, low-power access points (e.g., femto cells) are deployed to supplement conventional network access points (e.g., macro access points). For example, a low-power access point installed in a user's home or in an enterprise environment (e.g., commercial buildings) may provide voice and high speed data service for access terminals supporting cellular radio communication (e.g., CDMA, WCDMA, UMTS, LTE, etc.). In general, these low-power access points provide more robust coverage and higher throughput for access terminals in the vicinity of the low-power access points.
At a given point in time, an access terminal may be served by a given one of the access points of a network. As the access terminal roams throughout the network area, the access terminal may move away from its serving access point and move closer to another access point. In addition, signal conditions within a given cell may change, whereby an access terminal may be better served by another access point. In either of these cases, to maintain mobility for the access terminal, the access terminal may be handed-over from its serving access point to the other access point.
Handover of an access terminal (e.g., UE) may be adversely affected if handover signaling is subjected to interference. For example, in a network with a dense concentration of access points (e.g., femto cells) and a high rate of handover, handover signaling may suffer from low signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio (SINR) at the intended receiver due to interference from nearby cells and/or access terminals. Consequently, handover failure may occur relatively frequently in such a scenario.